Reversible or feathering screw-propeller.



.No. 822,064. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

' H. K. MILHAM. REVERSIBLE OR FEATHERING SCREW PROPELLER.

APIPLIOATION FILED DEC. 21, 1905.-

2 SHEETS-SHBET1.

No.'822,064. v I PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

H. K. MILHAM. REVERSIBLE OR FEATHERING SCREW PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lg A

UNITED s'rA'rns r irnNT OFFICE.

HARRY KNIGHT MILHAM, or 'rwlcxnnnAM, ENGLAND.

REVERSIBLE on FEATHERING 'scnEw PnoPELLEm- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIARRY KNIGHT MIL- HAM, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, residing at Twickenham Middlesex, England,

have invented-certain new and useful Im-' containing within it the mechanism by which the spindles can be' given angular motions about their axes in order to so set the blades of practical use.

the propeller that the vessel will be driven either forwardly or astern, or the blades may be placed in a midway position, and so rendered'inefiective for driving purposes. Such propellers are particularly applicable for use, for example, in boats or launches in which the propeller-shafts are driven in only one direction, as by explosion-engines, when the operation of reversing is'eflected by communicating to the blades angular motions about their axes. In such propellers having reversible blades it has been common to construct the hub in two parts, divided in a plane at ri ht angles to the axis of the hub and coinci ent with the axes of the bladespindles, and then such parts have been screwed or bolted together after the bladespindles and the operating mechanism have been placed in position. Such a construction of hub, however, presents disadvantages in Thus inspection of the reversing mechanism within the hub calls for so much work and time in disconnecting and again assembling the arts as to render such a proceeding extreme y diiiicult, and, moreover, when the hub is divided in a plane at ri ht an les to its axis and including the axes o the b ades, as is common, the transverse strains or .thrust of the spindles of the blades fireb often taken by the attached part ofthe 'Now the object of the resent invention is to provide a reversing or eatheringpropeller with a novel and simple construction of h0llow boss whereby the thrust and transverse strains of the blades are taken by the body of the hub and whereby the contained mechanism for operating the blades can be ex osed for inspection or for taking out and rep acing the blades with the greatest possible ease,

Specification cf LetterePatent. Application filed December 21,1906. Serial No. 292,729.

'ratentea ma 29, 1906.

andto this end the curved wall of the hollow hub is formed with an aperture or apertures extending forward from the rearward end of the said body, so that the planes of the longitudinal edges" of the Wall of said hub at such aperture contain the axes of the blades, and where the axis of a blade-spindle meets the edge of the body at such aperture such edge is cut away to receive half of such spindle, a removable cover or lid being provided for each aperture, the edge or edges of the said cover being cut away to embrace the remain-v ing half or halves of said blade spindle or spindles, the said lid dovetailing or interlocking at its forward end with the wall of the hub when in position and held at its rearward end by an end cap embracing the rear end of the.hub and the rear end of said cover, means being provided for detachably fixing the said end cap in position. strains of the blade-spindles are received by the walls of the hub, and the drive of the hub is transmitted to the blades through the walls of the body of the said hub. At the same time such a lid or cover can be easily removed, because by removing the end cap of the hub the cover will be left free to be lifted out, which can be effected with the greatest ease and the mechanism contained within the hub exposed for inspection, removal, or adjustmen-t.

In propellersconstructed according to m invention the spindles of the blades are shou dered within the' walls of the hub so that when inserted therein and when the lid or cover is laced in position they are firmly held, whi e being free to have angular motions about their axes, and in order that such angular motions may be communicated to the blades I form or provide upon each of the blade-spindles within the hub a crank, each crank having a in or stud engaging a roove' in a block, the atter being capable 0 being slid within the hub parallel with the axis of the latter. ,The block is slid by means of a rod passing throu h the hollow propellershaft and operate by suitable mechanism, so that when the block receives rectilinear motion the inclined slots therein will operate the cranks and give axial adjustment to the blades. Such mechanismi'or operating the blades to reverse or feather I have found to Thus the transverse be very efficient in action, not so liable to damage or disarrangem'ent as the bevel-gearing commonly em loyed, and easil cheaply constructe but it will be 0 vious and the line X Y of Fig. 1. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same propeller, and Figs. 4

and are vertical longitudinal sections showthe hollow ing the operating mechanism with the blades in twopositions.

Referring to the drawings, the body 1 of oss is fixed to the tubular drivingshaft 2 by any suitable means, the body 1 of the hub being open at its-rear end and having a segment of its circular wall cut away.

In the examples. shown the aperture formed in the hub extends from the open'rearward end forwardly, so that the plane of the longitudinal' edge of the wall of the'hub at the aperture woul contain the axes of the blades, and at the point where the axis of the bladespindle meets the edge of the body,at such aperture such edge is cut away to receive half of each of the spindles 3 of the blades 4'.

Such an aperture is fitted with a lid or cover 5,

the edge or edges of said cover being cut away to embrace the remaining half or halves of the said blade spindle or spindles, while at its forward edge 6 the cover is made to dovetall with the correspondin ly-formed edge of the body 1 of the hub. Vhen the lid .5 is placed 1n position, as shown at Figs. 4 and 5, it completes the wall of the hub, leaving the end thereof open, and the metal around this open end is shouldered and formed witha screwthread to receive an internally-threaded end cap 7, whlch is formed ,or provided with some means, such as a recess 8, to receive a key by WhlOh it can be screwed onto the body of the hub or unscrewed therefrom, and

. when the end cap is in;the position shown the cover or lid 5 is held, firmly in osition, while when unscrewed the lid 5 can e removed by the fingers of the attendant and will not only leave the mechanism open for inspection or lubr1cat1on, but will allow of the very ready removal of the blades 4 with their spindles 3 which 1s facilitated by the construction of the: mechanism which I have adopted for operatmg the same for reversing or feathering t is very essential that the lid or cover5 WhllG bemg held at one end by the screwed end cap 7 should dovetail or lnterlock I the body 1 of the hub, so that any force ex erted by the blades 4 should bereceived directly by the body of the said hub, and. by making this removable lid or cover '5 toen gage by dovetailing with the body of the hub I L provided with a lid or cover, one of such lids this requirement is effected.

before-mentioned inclined p ane, so that the lid or cover 5 is held by a wedge-like action and when so secured in place by the end cap is, as it were, locked in position, so that the drive of the blades is effected through the body of the hub and does not depend upon parts which are merely bolted thereto. With the hub of a propeller so divided diagonally through its after part, as has been described, I form the spindles 3 of the blades 4 with shoulders 10, (see Fig. 2,) bearing externally upon the hub and each with a crank 11 in the interior securely held in their bearings in the hub. The cranks 11 have crank-pins 12, (shown by dotted lines at Figs. 2, 4, and 5,) and these crank-pins engage with diagonal or inclined grooves 13, one such being formed upon each side of a block 14, located within the hollow pable of moving parallel with the axis of the hub. The said block 14 is fixed to the end of a rod 15, which extends up the tubular driving-shaft 2 and is capableof being given any suitable or well-known mechanism not forming part of this invention.

It will nowbe understood that when the block isbrought to a forward position relatively to the hub, as at 'Fi 4, the propeller-blades will be rocked a out their axes,

rearward'position, as at Fig. 5, the blades will be rocked (for example) to drive rearwardly, while the block might be moved to an intermediate position, in which the blades would have no positive action. With such construction, if it is required to remove the blades and their operating mechanism all that is necessary is to unscrew the end cap 7 and lift out the lid 5, when the blades can be quite easil removed from their, half-bearings in the huh and the crank-pins 12 slid up the grooves 13. easily be replaced, and to facilitate this op- & eration the edges of the lid 5 may be formed with holes to receive projecting pins 16,

'1, sothat upon thecover being placed in position, with the pins 16 enterin the holes in the lid, the latter is maintaine in its proper 1 position, while the end cap 7 is screwed home. It is obvious the hub can be constructed 'tofcarry i case of atliree-bladed propeller the hub ma be formed with two segmental apertures awe of the hub is in a plane at ri ht angles to the the requisite motions to slide the block by" so as to drive, say, in a forward direction,- and when the block is slid to its farthest.

more than two blades, and in the of the hub, so that the blades are firmly and of the hub and guided therein, so as.to be .ca-

Similarly, the parts can as Fig.

being formed at both its edges to complete the bearings fortwo of the sp1ndles,while the second lid may be formed at one of its edges 1 to complete the bearing for the remaining spindle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In reversible or feathering screw-propellers; the combination with propeller-blades cover having semicircular recesses each adapted to embrace the remaining half of each blade-s )indlc, the forward edge of said cover being formed to contact and interlock with the forward edge of the wall of the hub at said aperture,means for detachabl securing the rear end of the cover to t e hub,

mechanism contained within the hub for ad-- justing the bladesabout their axes, a tubular driving-shaft to carry the hub, and a rod passing through the driving-shaft-for operatingthe blade-adiusting mechanism.

2. In reversib e or feathering screw-propellers; the combination with propeller-blades having spindle ends, and a hollow hub to receive the spindle ends of said blades, said hub being open at its rear end and having an aperture extending from the rearward 0 en end forwardly beyond the propeller-bla e spindles, the ongitudinal edges of the wall of said hub at such aperture having each a half-bearing to embrace half a blade-spindle, and the curved edge of the hub at the forward end of such aperture being inclined rearwardly; of a removable cover for closin the aperture,

' said cover having longitudina edges contacting with the longitudinal edges of the hubaperture and having at each of said longitudlnal edges a half-bearing to embrace the remaining half of each'blade-spindle, the forward end of the. cover being formed to con tact and interlock with the rearwardly-inclined forward edge of the hub-aperture, an

end cap for closing the rear open end of the hub and overlying the rear end of the cover to hold the latter in place, means for detachably'fixing said end cap in osition, mechanism contamed within the ub for adjusting the blades about their axes, a tubular driving-shaft to carry the hub and a rod passing through the driving-shaft for operating the blade-adjusting mechanism substantially as set forth.

' nal edges of the the blades about their axes, a

.its faces and an o v 3. In reversible or feathering screw pro ellers; the combination with radial prope lerblades having spindle ends, and a hollow hub to receive the spindle endsrof said blades said hub being open at 1ts rear end and having an aperture extending from the rearward open end forwardly beyond the pro eller-blade spindles, the longitudinal edges of the wall of said hub at such aperture having each a halfbearing to embrace half a blade-spindle, the curved edge of the hub at the forward end of such aperture being inclined rearwardly, and the open end of the hub being formed with a screw-thread; of a removable cover for closing the aperture, the said cover having longitudinal edges contacting with the longitudi hub-aperture and having at each of said longitudinal edges a half-bearing to embrace the remaining half of each bladespindle, the forward end of the cover being formed to contact and interlock with the rearwardly-inclined forward edge of the hubaperture, an end ca for closing the rear open end of the hub having a screw-thread formed at its interior forward edge to engage the screw-thread on the rearward end of the hub and overlying the rear end of the cover when screwed up to hold the latter in place, mech- )r adjusting tubular drivhub, and a rod passing anism contained within the hub ing-shaft to carry the through the driving-shaft for operating the blade-adjusting mechanism substantially as set forth. 7 I

4. In reversible or feathering screw-propel- ,lers; the combination with propeller-blades and a hollow hub to re- 7 having spindle ends, ceive the spindle ends of said blades said hub having an aperture through its wall extending forwardly from the rear end of same, the longitudinal edges of said hub at such aperture having each a half-bearing to'embrace half a blade-spindle, the curved edge of the hub at the forward end of such aperture being inclined rearwardly, a removable cover for closing the aperture having longitudinal edges contacting with the longitudinal edges of the hub-aperture and having at each of said longitudinal edges a half-bearing to embrace the remaining half of each radial blade.- spindle, the forward end of the cover being formed to contact and interlock with the rearwardly-inclined forward edge of the hubaperture, means for detachably securingthe rear end of the cover to the hub, and a guideway within the hub extending longitudinally thereof; of a crank upon each blade-spindle within thehollow of the hub, a block located in the guideway within thehub said block having an inclined groove formed on one of positely-inclined groove upon its opposite ace, means for longitudlnally reciprocating the crank of each blade-spindle entering a groove block, a pin on the i in the block, and means for reciprocatin the block within the hub for adjusting the b ades about their axes substantially as set forth.

5. In reversible or feathering screw-pro ellers; the combination with radial propel er blades having spindle ends, and a hollow hub to receive the spindle ends of said blades, said hub being open at its rear end and having an aperture extending from the rearward open end forwardly beyond the propeller-blade spindles, the longitudinal edges of the wall of said hub at such aperture having each a half-bearing to embrace half a blade-spindle,

the curved edge of the hub at the forward end ofsuch aperture being inclined rearwardly, the rear end of the hub being formed with a screw-thread, a removable cover for closing the hub-aperture, said cover having longitudinal edges contacting with the longitudinal edges of the hub-a erture and having at each of said longitudina ed es a half-bearing to embrace the remaining alf of each radial blade-spindle, the forward end of the cover being formed to contact and interlock with the rearwardly-inclined forward edge of the hub-aperture, and an end cap for clossauce screw-thread ormed at its interior forward edge to engage thescrew-thread on the rearward end of the hub and overlying the rear end of the cover when screwed up to hold the latter in place, and a uideway within-the hub extending longitu nally thereof, of a I ing the rear. 0 en end of the hub-having a crank upon each blade-spindle within the eating the latter to adjust the blades about their axes substantiallIy as set forth.

In witness whereof have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY KNIGHT ILHAM.

Witnesses:

GRIFFITH BREWER, WILLIAM A. MARSHALL. 

